With bipartisan support, the Pennsylvania State Senate has passed Grow PA, a package of legislation that provides students with post-secondary education and career preparation.

Senate Bills 1150 and 1151 are supported by the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Scott Martin, R-Lancaster. According to a press release, the bills Create and expand programs that connect students with in-demand careers in Pennsylvania. Industries with high demand include agriculture, computer science, criminal justice, business, education, engineering, nursing, skilled trades, special education, STEM education and healthcare.

“Pennsylvania faces serious economic and demographic challenges in the coming years as more and more of our young people seek training and employment opportunities in other states,” Martin said in a statement. “Grow PA sends a strong message: If young people are willing to learn and put down roots here, we are ready to invest in their future in Pennsylvania.”

The Grow PA package will make education and job training more affordable and provide incentives for students to work in Pennsylvania for a period of time after completing their studies and certifications.

Senate Bill 1150 would create the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program. Scholarships of up to $5,000 per year would be awarded to in-state students who study in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in a high-demand industry, and agree to live and work in Pennsylvania after graduation in that industry.

Recipients must live and work in Pennsylvania for at least 15 months of the year they accept the scholarship. If this requirement is not met, the scholarship will be converted into a loan that must be repaid.

Senate Bill 1151 would create the Grow PA Merit Scholarship Program. The program would help attract high-achieving students from out of state to Pennsylvania's educational programs at schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The merit scholarships would allow students pursuing in-demand careers to pay tuition at in-state student rates rather than out-of-state rates.

As with the scholarship program for in-state students, merit scholarship recipients would have to live and work in Pennsylvania after graduation or have the scholarship converted into a loan.